http://www.performanceanxiety.com/stagefrightinterview.htm 

The second recording is of a telegathering I did last month with some past participants of the Getting Over Stage Fright Workshop. In this recording, you will hear some initial discussion from me, followed by the group participants talking about their experience with stage fright, how they are applying the tools they learned and practiced at the workshop, and the positive shift that has taken place for them since attending the workshop.

The group generously agreed to share their experience to help inspire others who similarly have this challenge. Please be sure to listen in on this discussion as I am sure you will find it very helpful to hear about the experiences of others and the progress they are making since attending the workshop.

Here is the link for this recording:

www.performanceanxiety.com/telegathering.com

You can download these recordings to your ipod or to a CD, or listen at your computer. I hope you find them helpful and inspiring!

And, if you have an extra couple minutes, please take a look at an impromptu video taken at my last workshop, sharing some of my thoughts about the workshop experience.

You can find the video here:

http://www.performanceanxiety.com/workshop.htm

One final resource I want to share with you at this time:

Many people have found my GPS System for Getting to a Calm and Confident Destination when Speaking or Performing very helpful, so I am including it again here for those who are new to my list and who have not yet seen it, and for those who have already seen it but can benefit from some review and reinforcement of the steps.

1. PAUSE, take a deep breath, and observe your immediate, conditioned fear response as soon as you learn of a speaking or performing event. Pausing and taking a step back will help you begin to disengage from the fear and reduce your reactivity, allowing you to make a more conscious, deliberate choice in how you respond to this challenge.

2. DECIDE you will use this challenge as an invitation to practice using a newapproach and an opportunity to reinforce and strengthen the skills you are learning. Do not allow yourself to entertain any thoughts of avoiding (or fleeing) the situation.

3. SET AN INTENTION to approach this experience in a positive and powerful way and to reap the rewards of learning and growing as you step outside of your comfort zone.

4. BE A WILLING SPIRIT and let go of any resistance you have to speaking or performing. Be willing to do whatever is being asked of you with an open heart and generous spirit, willing to contribute in whatever way you can to benefit others. Take the focus off yourself and remember, It's not about you!

5. ACCEPT ANY ANXIOUS FEELINGS you are having, no matter how uncomfortable they may be. Ride the wave of your feelings, knowing they will not hurt you and they will ease naturally as you focus on thoughts that support and strengthen you rather than thoughts that create more anxiety and self-doubt.

6. BREATHE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY and focus on releasing and relaxing any tension that you are holding in your body. Slow down your pace of speaking and moving and try to stay grounded in the present moment as much as possible. Create a body posture that expresses a confident, natural ease and a "Can do" attitude.

7. DIRECT YOUR MIND away from any negative, fear-inducing thoughts and toward more positive, empowering thoughts and images. Notice anytime your mind shifts back to fear-based thinking and continue to self-correct and redirect your mind as many times as you need to. You will be retraining your mind in this process.

8. KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE throughout this process and do not succumb to negativity, no matter how challenging your experience may be. Be willing to accept exactly where you are at in this moment (rather than get caught up with where you think you "should" be) and be willing to stand by yourself in the most supportive way possible (as you would with your own child or someone you love dearly).

9. GET PERSPECTIVE on yourself and your situation. Smile and feel yourself lighten up as you remind yourself you are not giving the State of the Union address nor are you competing in the Olympics. Bring your situation down to size, realizing that fear and anxiety distort the reality of the situation and make things seem much bigger than they really are.

10. PREPARE AND REHEARSE your material and practice expressing yourself with confidence and ease during the prep time. Be proactive with your prep work and practice just the right amount to help you feel at your best. (If you do not have advance notice to allow for preparation and practice, then use this as an opportunity to develop trust in yourself. Allow your mind to partner with you in figuring out the best way to respond to whatever is being asked of you. Refrain from undermining yourself with self-doubting thoughts or second-guessing yourself.)

11. THINK ABOUT OTHERS who will be in the room and humanize them in your mind. Think about their individual lives and realize that they are just like you in many ways. They also experience challenges of their own and have feelings of fear and vulnerability at times, just like you do (even if it doesn't appear that way on the surface). Feel a deep human connection with your audience and think about them as real people rather than projecting things onto them in a way that makes them seem intimidating or threatening.

12. VISUALIZE YOURSELF being in the flow, calm and confident, enjoying the experience of speaking or performing. See yourself being natural and authentic. Imagine yourself feeling good that others are benefiting from what you have to share and that you will be making a difference in their lives in some way.

13. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF in the days leading up to the event. Do whatever you can to support your body, mind, and spirit so you can feel and be at your best when the day arrives.

14. WRITE DOWN A FEW REMINDERS on a small note card so you can use this to remember the most important things to focus on to support your body, mind, and spirit when the time comes to speak or perform. (Refer to my books, CD, and other material I have provided to help you come up with some of the specific things that are most helpful for you.)

15. ACTIVELY PRACTICE THE METHODS you have been learning whenever the fear and anxiety arise. Remind yourself that these feelings won't hurt you and you do not have to be afraid of them. Know it is okay to feel anxious and afraid at times and it doesn't have to stop you - you can still get the job done. Don't pay attention to symptoms of fear and anxiety that may arise - the symptoms will ease on their own when you shift your attention toward things that help to ground, support, and strengthen you.

16. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS or try to prove yourself. This will only create more self-induced pressure and lead you to worry about not measuring up. Don't try so hard to do everything just right or to achieve some perfect ideal; instead, focus on relaxing and being as natural as possible. Move aside any ego concerns and remember your true purpose, which is to contribute your knowledge and talent to the group. Learn to care more about the people in your audience than you care about how you look or what others think of you.

17. PRACTICE RESILIANCE any time you get off course or something doesn't go exactly as you would have wanted. Be as flexible and adaptive as possible. Learn to go with the flow and let go of having to control things so tightly. Smile and don't take yourself or the situation so seriously. Keep your perspective and remember this is not a do-or-die situation.

18. ENJOY THE RIDE! Truly, you can have fun on this journey and it doesn't have to be so grueling. Make an intention to enjoy yourself and always look for opportunities to smile and find pleasure. Remember, it doesn't have to be as hard as it seems and you don't have to struggle (or suffer!).

19. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS - large and small. Always look for the good and focus on the positive aspects of your speaking or performing experiences. Learn from anything that didn't go as you would have wanted, but don't dwell on these things; learn to let them go quickly and move on after you have learned whatever there is to be learned.

20. SAY YES TO FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES and don't shrink away from them. Learn to bear whatever discomfort might arise when you step up to future speaking or performing events and use all of these experiences to further practice and strengthen your skills and build  trust in yourself.

Be Sure to Remember: You need to step into the driver's seat and not allow your fear to do the driving!

Copyright 2010, Janet Esposito, MSW, www.performanceanxiety.com.

All Rights Reserved, Copy only with written permission from author.